Chapter 3: How To Save a Life
“Conker!” Everyone burst in the room. But, to their surprise, it was Professor Longbottom, not Conker who was laying injured on the floor. “Professor Longbottom, are you alright?” Nano asked, sympathetically, “Do you need anything-” “-Anything at all?” TF finished the sentence, and both Nano and TF laughed weakly, before continuing to fuss over Professor Longbottom. “I’m fine, kids…” Professor Longbottom then collapsed and fainted, with TF, Nano, Phy, and the Professors worrying over him, as Dark and Leon just focused on fighting each other. “You’re ugly-” “Well, so are you-” “I hope you die-” “The same to you-” “Will you both just shut up and make out already?” Nano said in frustration, “We have a could-be dead Professor...yet you choose to fight each other. And besides neither of you look bad,” Nano said with a wink to Dark, who didn’t seem to notice it. “Where d’you think the troll is?” Phy asked TF. “Not sure…” TF looked at the trail of mud the troll left, “Definitely came from the forest, though. “Yeah, it was raining and stuff- so the mud-” Professor Ramsey took a firewhiskey out of his pocket, “Oh, looks like I had one on me! Sweet!” Professor Ramsey then gulped it down in about two seconds. “Don’t follow my example, kids!” Professor Ramsey then belched and fell over, next to Longbottom. “That happens every class anyway,” TF said dismissively, “So, what now, Professors?” “I suggest we split up, the Professors go to the forest- while you guys go look for clues and stuff around the Castle-” “Professor Burns, that is where we cross the line,” The Wemings spoke in unison, “We will not permit the students to risk their lives for something such as this.” “Oh, fine,” Professor Burns frowned, “But, with that we’ll cover less ground-” “We want to stay!” Dark stomped on the ground. “I’m sorry-” “But, this no is final,” Percival Wemings finished Duke Wemings’s sentence, “We’ll give you a treat, though, before you go.” Duke & Percival Wemings both took out their wands and five Butterbeers appeared. “You might not know what these are-” “But, they’re very delicious and loved ever so greatly by the third years and above,” Duke Wemings finished, “Go on then, to your common rooms.” “Can we at least take Professor Ramsey with us?” Leon frowned. “Sure,” Professor Burns said, not noticing what they said. “Sweet!” Leon, Nano, and Dark said, as they all quickly left before the Professors could change their mind. “Am I in Candy Land?” Professor Ramsey asked in a drunk faze, “Tell the Gents I’ll be down in ten minutes!” “No, you’re not in Candy Land, Professor,“ Phy spoke in a calm voice, “Are you alright?” “‘Course I am, Billy!” Professor Ramsey stood up, but looked ready to fall any minute. “Professor, we’d like to ask you-” TF paused for a moment on how to word this so Professor Ramsey would still understand through his drunkenness, “You saw the tracks with Longbottom, right?” “Yessir, I did, Billies!” Professor Ramsey kept almost falling, despite standing perfectly still, “It’s a troll’s I think. Poor Billy, probably getting torn to shreds by the troll.” Nano’s face turned pale, and after struggling to speak, Nano finally spoke. “We’re going after him.” “What? And get killed ourselves?” Leon looked at Nano as if it were a joke, but then saw his paleness and his face dropped, “Um, n-no thanks…” “Conker has a family, you know,” Nano’s voice carried the corridor, “Friends, too. We’re not just going to let him die and do nothing about it are we? I’m with Professor Burns on this…” “I agree,” Dark then spoke suddenly, “He’s a fellow Hufflepuff! ‘Puffs back each other up!” “I’m in,” Phy said, “Maybe I could light the troll on fire…” “I agree too, so count me in,” TF nodded his head, “Leon?” “I-I-I...oh, alright,” Leon grumbled. “But, how are we going to get past the Professors?” Dark asked nervously. “Tell them that pizza is secretly the answer to life!” Professor Ramsey smiled dumbly, “Or, Open Sesame!” “Yeah, thanks, Professor.” Leon snorted. “Maybe…” TF hesitated, “Maybe, we could tell them Professor Ramsey is just going to show us something- should we run into them?” “He’s drunk enough to comply,” Phy shrugged, “It should work.” “Alright, then, let’s go.” Nano gulped. TF, Nano, Leon, Dark, Phy, and Professor Ramsey followed the trails of the troll in hopes of finding Conker. “So, I know, this may sound weird to you guys,” began Nano, hoping to get his mind off the subject at hand as Professor Ramsey led them, “but what are your wands?” “Why are you asking now?” Enquired Phy. “Just hoping to brighten up the atmosphere, that’s all…” Nano hesitated. “Cedar with Dragon Heartstring!” Leon shouted immediately, “It’s pretty sweet, right?” “Hawthorn, Unicorn Core,” TF beamed proudly, holding up his wand, “Yours?” “Uh...what did Ollivander say again?” Nano thought to himself, “Oh, right-” Nano was holding up his wand as he spoke, not paying any attention to how fast or where he was walking. TF, Phy, and Dark called out for him as Leon snickered, and he walked straight into a wall, his body adding pressure on his wand. He then fell from the pain the wall brought him and stood up and then started to dust himself off. With much grief, he found out his wand broke. “My mum’s going to kill me!” Nano sighed, “I can’t believe I already broke my wand. Bloody-” “Now then Billy,” Professor Ramsey spoke, his eyes twinkling which let them know immediately the drunk nature he had was a charade, “I’m sure I could take you to Ollivander’s, right now, if you please.” “Wait, so you were never-” Leon was interrupted. “Nah, just practicing my acting skills and all that. Plus, it was a coupon for adventure- of course, I was going to take it! You know, unless something scary popped up...then I would hide…” Professor Ramsey paused, “Alright, the rest of you go on ahead- but don’t try being a martyr or something like that. Usually at least one would, but if you run into the troll, just alert the Professors. If Nano and I come back before you find it, then we can fight it- but I’m leading...until I hide in a corner or something. Let’s go then, Nano?” “Actually I...I don’t have the galleons for another wand. I need to ask my mum to give me my daddy’s- what don’t you guys still call your dad, daddy? No, oh-” Nano then realized he was off track, “Um, nevermind. Could we just go to the Owlery then? I might get a howler with the wand, but it’s a wand…” “Won’t your dad need his wand, though?” Phy asked, interested. “He- he died in the Battle of Hogwarts…” Nano looked down on the ground, not wanting to look at anyone’s face filled with pity or sympathy. “Hold on, Nano,” TF said digging through his pockets before he got out eleven galleons, “Here take these and go to Ollivander’s for the new wand.” “What? No, no, I’m fine…” “Take it. You won’t get a howler this way- until you actually get scolded off the Hogwarts Express- and you get a new wand that is more suited towards you. That’s better, isn’t it?” “But, that’s a lot of money, TF…” “I happen to have enough coin to give you this. Just...repay me back later, alright?” Nano nodded. “Alright, thanks TF.” Nano and Professor Ramsey walked down the corridors, as the group looked past- knowing they would not be back in time to save Conker. It was time to take measures into their own hands. “So, it’s up to us, right?” Leon asked, “Well, then, I say we just march up to it and- uh, do something. Yeah!” “Leon, without Professor Ramsey- that’s a death wish…” “I agree with TF,” Phy stated blankly, “Conker dies and we die, what good is that?” “We go down heroes…?” Leon said hesitantly.